China on Thursday accused the US of distorting its defence policy to ruin its stabilising relationship with India. Lin Jian, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, was speaking at a press conference on the easing of tensions between China and India, where he was asked if China would like to see US-India relations contained to maintain healthy ties between the Asian nations.
During the conference, Lin said that the government looks at the India-China relationship from a long-term lens. He added that the border issues between India and China are the problems of the two countries, and any judgment by a third party will not be accepted. The remarks are made in the backdrop of the report by the Pentagon, where the United States stated that China aims to capitalise on the improving ties with India, and wants to prevent the good ties between India and the US.
The assessment was part of China’s wider regional and defence strategy. An agreement of disengagement on the eastern Ladakh front was finalised between India and China last year, but after months, a new challenge emerged in the form of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims to be a part of its territory.
The Pentagon report submitted to the White House lists Arunachal Pradesh as a major claim of China, alongside Taiwan, and territories in the South China Sea. The report also stated that the North East state of India will emerge as. A major point of Contention between the two countries in the coming times. It added that Arunachal Pradesh, which is called South Tibet or Zangnam, is part of China’s wider strategy of integration by 2049. Beijing is also planning to create a “world-class military” for “fight and win” operations.
India has constantly refuted China’s claim, as Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of the country. Historically, the claim made by Beijing rests on the refutation of the McMahon Line drawn by the British in 1914. The line was accepted by the then Colonial power in India, which was ruled by England, and an independent Tibet.
The matter remains sensitive, as was evident last month too, when an Indian Citizen from Arunachal Pradesh, Prema Thogdok, travelling from London to Japan, was detained in Shanghai for over 18 hours, as the authorities claimed her passport was illegal as it mentioned Arunachal as her birthplace.
